samuraifan

Hey guys,

Something is wrong when the morning show with Kerri-Anne sells PCs much superior than your own for not even HALF of what you originally paid for it. Quite frankly I don't know much about computer hardware; just the simple act of researching these components has taught me a lot. With this new system I am building I don't want it to be high end, I am on a budget you see but nor do I want it to be on lower end. I still don't know too much about it however I want the system to have good 'overclocking' capabilities. With the research I did, this is what I have come up with. I really tried to make Bang-For-Buck a big priority and this is what I have so far:

The budget is roughly $1,000-$1,250 but I am not willing to spent any more than $1,350.

- CASE:CoolerMaster Centurion RC-590 Midi-Tower Case - USB, Firewire, Audio, NO PSU, ATX
- PSU:Thermaltake Tough Power 750W
- MOBO:EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
- CPU:Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
- GPU:EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB
- RAM: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB)
- SOUND:Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
- HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T 500GB

Looking at average prices from staticice.com, it comes to a little more than $1,400. Looking at my budget I am already over . Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

John1711

Hey mate i would check out MSY.com.au i have made many systems and getting all my parts from the for example $99 for 500Gb HDD and they seem to get cheaper every week also system looks good but you should go Quad-core

PhillTheQuad

dropping case type
cheaper moby
cheaper psu
cheaper sound card?
thatll save heaps
buy a 9800 gt instead

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roguefan99

I'd probably drop the Audigy card, unless you are an audiophile and have the speaker set up for it. Most OB sound is pretty good for what computers spit out these days.

Also would it be worth getting an SLI board if you are only getting one video card, and a cutdown one at that. You could cut down the price on the MB with that.

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urban_s0ulja

psu's over kill mate
ill have a bit more of a look into it when i get home

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ssrattus

Have a look at these wiki for recommendations and pricing...

New System Parts Recommendations - OCAU Wiki

New System Recommendations - OCAU Wiki

Gaming Machine - OCAU Wiki

biggeorge

Just buy an XBOX360 or PS3.. Much cheaper than a PC.

DND

Drop the mobo and put a P5N-E-SLI in, I have one of these and its a great motherboard think there around $150 now (and ASUS have top overclocking)

Also you can drop the sound card, The onboard sounds pretty good on that motherboard


The motherboard will save you $200 and droping the sound card will save you $90 there you go $1000 bucks for a good setup

samuraifan

So many responses, took me a while to go through your suggestions and make changes.

Wells firstly I am not going to drop this case Centurion RC-590, I took ages to select this one. I chose this case over theNZXT Tempest for several reasons I won't go into. Otherwise I have changed the PSU, dropped the Sound card and looking into the 9800 GT havn't made up my mind yet.

For some silly reason OB sound never occured to me. I rarely use my speakers now anyways, I have converted to the good old headset w/ mic

I wasn't too sure how much power I would need, funny though I was orginally looking into 800W... I am sure 620W should be able to fit the bill eh? What do you think?

A much cheaper alternative to what I orginally had, I love the suggestion and taking it up after reading quite a few reviews on the MOBO.

samuraifan

This is the Updated Computer Specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor ($219)
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard ($135)
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) ($109)
500GB Samsung Spinpoint T166 HD501LJ ($99)
LG GSA-H62N 18x SATA DVDRW ($37.4)
EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB ($279)
CoolerMaster*Centurion RC-590 ($88)
620W Corsair CMPSU-620HX ($149)

Total: $1,115.4
All above prices were found using Staticice.com and listing prices from the VIC stores selling for the lowest.

I am fairly happy with it right now, just tossing up with the GPU and perhaps the CPU if you read further on. I have 2 questions...
Firstly is there any major benefit getting 2 GPU's?
Secondly, I was looking into Quad-core because of John1711 suggestion I found the Q6600, its only $245, $26 more than the E6850. Is it worth getting? I am not sure how to properly compare Core 2 Duo to Core 2 Quad.

Any further advice or suggestions will still greatly appreciated.

PhillTheQuad

Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com
IT ESTATE
IT ESTATE

9600 seems better value and has bigger numbrs lol

oh, and dont buy that corsair value select,itll die
buy geil ultra or sum higher grade ram
i biult a gaming box for kid other week.
am2 dual 2.6ghz
2x1 ram
8600gt
dvd
430 watt thermaltake
ect ect
$600 parts, he luvs it, plays anything.
other words,u dont need to go silly.

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DND

S^$^ I payed that for my video card (8600GT) back in Nov

DND

This is just me but I'm not to keen on Samsung the only two I will use is seagate or WD

I have RAID setup on my with a back up HDD

Videocard I'd be going the one Phill posted up IT ESTATE

I'd go with the Quad-core for 26 buck more you grinning

I havn't ran SLI but with the 9600GT you shouldn't have any problems running anything. and you can always jam one more in later if needed

samuraifan

Thanks for the links Phil, I took a look and indeed it seems to be much better value for money. As for going overboard, with a budget in place that is definetly not going to happen. I just want a PC i can use for a couple of years without too many extreme upgrades, this ancient machine I have before me was made in 2004 and I have not made any upgrades other than getting a IDE 250 HDD.

Also, what exactly do you mean by higher grade ram? do you mean the type? Or perhaps the brand name? I was orginally tossing up between Kingston and Corsair...

Just getting into hardware I don't know too much about the manufacturers , so I have pretty much stuck with those I currently use as well as reading reviews by other users. Most people seem to go with Samsung over Seagate, Seagate was a close second mind you, but I think i'll just go with the majority on this one.

Woo im going quad-core, as you may have guessed I have taken up the CPU and also GPU suggestion. This is the updated computer spec list!

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz ($245)
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard ($135)
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) ($109)
500GB Samsung Spinpoint T166 HD501LJ ($99)
LG GSA-H62N 18x SATA DVDRW ($37.4)
EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT ($239.35)
CoolerMaster*Centurion RC-590 ($88)
620W Corsair CMPSU-620HX ($149)

TOTAL COST: $1101.75

I think i am in the home stretch folks. Any final suggestions or advice before I put this "beast" together?

DND

He talking about the "Corsair Value Select" range spend a couple bucks more and get a better set with a lower timing (low latency)

I'm running the CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2800 with Timing 4-4-4-12 havn't had a problem with it

John1711

ha ha yeah Quad-core for $26 more $$ your laughing good choice all in all looks like you are going really well to keep it in budget congrats

samuraifan

OH I finally understand, I should have realised what he meant earlier! I think ill just go with the ram you are running yourself "CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2800 with Timing 4-4-4-12", if it works for you and you have no problems nor should I, the majority of reviews I have read also give very positive feedback.

I am already laughing , I can't wait till I put this together!

A big thanks to all who have given input and offered there advice and guidance


Possibly Final Specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz ($245)
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard ($135)
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB DDR2800 with Timing 4-4-4-12 ($183.70)
500GB Samsung Spinpoint T166 HD501LJ ($99)
LG GSA-H62N 18x SATA DVDRW ($37.4)
EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT ($239.35)
CoolerMaster*Centurion RC-590 ($88)
620W Corsair CMPSU-620HX ($149)

TOTAL COST: $1176.45

DND

It should kick some ass that setup

you should be able to get that ram cheaper then that, but if your getting all the goodies from one shop its probably easier to pay the bit more and get it all together


buy the way what are you playing with it

samuraifan

Not too sure yet hehe. I might get my hands on a copy of Crysis but all I have right now Unreal Tournament 3. However, later on I will most likely switch to a nice MMORPG, something I have been denied due to my current computer specs.

intelliGEORGE

I hope this is in your budget...

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